The Day | Industrial farming — ‘worst crime in historyʼ
9/12/19, 6(25 AM
WEDNESDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2015
THEDAY.CO.UK
Industrial farming — ‘worst crime in history’
Each second, 255 animals
are slaughtered for the UK
meat supply chain. Is this a
shocking betrayal of
sentient beings, or simply a
reasonable way of feeding a
nation of carnivores?
Plate competition: More than 50 billion chickens are bred around the world each year. © PA
Wire cages, windowless sheds and metal crates prevent them from turning around, lying down or going outside. They grow unnaturally quickly
after being force-fed antibiotics. And, often shortly after being born, the slaughterhouse — where they are rapidly stunned, killed and turned
into food — awaits. These are among the realities for the animals bred, reared and slaughtered in industrial farming around the world every
year.
Now, an animal rights campaign group in the United States has chosen a surprising battleground on which to fight this emotive issue.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has brought a court case against organic supermarket group Whole Foods — a chain
described as ‘the leader on animal welfare’ by the Humane Society. As they were issuing the papers, similar issues were being raised among
the British public: the Shadow Environment Secretary, Kerry McCarthy, called for public campaigns to discourage people from eating meat
altogether.
People in developed countries are especially carniverous; just 2% of the UK population identified as vegetarian in 2012, and the
average meat-eater in the UK now consumes around 7,000 animals over the course of their lives. This includes 11 cows, 27 pigs and 2,400
chickens. Britain’s substantial meat industry employs thousands and contributes over £6bn each year to the economy. But at the same time,
approximately 2.6 million cattle, 10 million pigs, 14.5 million sheep and lambs, 80 million fish and 950 million birds (mostly chickens) are
slaughtered for human consumption.
In a book published last year, Israeli professor Yuval Noah Harari studied the relationship between man and animals through history. He
showed that our species had been responsible for the extinction of 90% of Australia’s large animals 45,000 years ago and 75% of North
America’s 15,000 years ago. Harari now says that ‘perhaps the worst crime in history’ is taking place on industrial farms, as humans override
animals’ natural instincts to survive, socialise and rear young.
Bon appetit?
‘If slaughterhouses had glass walls, the whole world would be vegetarian,’ said Linda McCartney. Most of us would never willingly inflict
suffering on animals ourselves but we do conveniently ignore it. We are too quick to pick up a packet of ham from the supermarket shelves,
ignoring the practices which have led to it being there.
Not so, say hardened meat eaters. We now know more than ever before about the way meat is produced, and most people still take a
pragmatic view. Man has eaten meat for centuries. Modern techniques allow it to be produced more humanely than ever before, while also
meeting a realistic desire for efficiency.
https://theday.co.uk/stories/industrial-farming-worst-crime-in-history?printable=true
Page 1 of 2
The Day | Industrial farming — ‘worst crime in historyʼ
YOU DECIDE
1. Will you change what you eat based on
what you’ve learnt here?
2. Is it ever right for an animal to die for a
human’s needs?
Q&A
Q: How well do farmers look after the
animals that end up on my plate?
A: That usually depends on the price you pay
— a higher price may indicate a better
standard of welfare for the animal. But this is
not always the case, and some fashionable
meats (such as veal and foie gras) are
manufactured by restricting the animal’s
movements or causing them to suffer. Some
products or shops advertise their animal
welfare standards to reassure consumers
(for example, by saying their chickens are
free range).
Q: Won’t the meat industry change the
future of the planet?
A: Meat production takes up land and
resources, and some observers argue that it
fuels global warming and hunger. But some
point out that, if we continue to eat meat,
industrial farms are more likely to tackle
these problems than more open ones.
9/12/19, 6(25 AM
ACTIVITIES
SOME PEOPLE SAY...
1. Draw a campaign poster in response to “Meat is murder.”
this story (for example, calling for
What do you think?
tougher animal welfare laws or calling
for support for farmers).
2. Create a presentation on the
relationship between humans and
animals through time. Yuval Noah
Harari’s piece in the Guardian (under
‘Become An Expert’) is a good place to
start your research.
WORD WATCH
Leader on animal welfare – The Humane
Society has praised Whole Foods for
adopting vegetarian and vegan products
quickly, banning live lobster and foie gras
(liver from a specially fattened duck or
goose) and using a multi-tiered system for
animal welfare standards. But Peta says the
standards are ‘a sham’.
BECOME AN EXPERT
Read this article on theday.co.uk for links to
recommended videos and further reading.
Public campaigns – McCarthy called for
campaigns similar to those which have been
used to cut down smoking rates. Health
warnings on cigarette packets, for example,
have been used to inform smokers of the
risks of their habit. But the Countryside
Alliance, which promotes British farmers’
interests, said her views were ‘verging on the
cranky’.
Socialise – In his book, Harari highlights the
evolutionary processes behind animals’
social needs. He says that farmers who keep
calves in enclosed spaces are causing them
unnecessary suffering as they have an
instinctive need to play in order to learn.
Rear young – Harari highlights the frequency
with which farmers separate mothers from
calves. He argues that this causes suffering
because it overrides the evolutionary need
for the two to bond.
https://theday.co.uk/stories/industrial-farming-worst-crime-in-history?printable=true
Page 2 of 2